Method of treating roadways.



E. E. ALLEN.

, METHOD OF TREATING ROADWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJ. I9I2.

Patented June 15, 1915.

WITNESSES .HIS ATTORNEY EUGENE E. ALLEN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

METHOD OF TREATING ROADWAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 1915.

Application filed August 1', 1912. Serial No. 718,800.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE E. ALLEN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California,,have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of Treating Roadways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to-the treatment of roadways, and more particularly to the treatment of railway roadways; and it has for its object to provide a novel method of treatment of roadways whereby the same may be kept free from weeds and other obstructive and injurious growths, such as commonly spring up along railway and other road-beds, constituting a serious obstacle to traverse of the roadway, especially railway road-beds; and whereby the roadway or road-bed may be kept in a neat, dustless and permanent condition, by the application of a suitable heated liquid thereto, preferably mineral oil. The improved method is of particular advantage in the treatment of the road-beds of railways. Exterior of the rails, at each side of the road-bed, extends what is termed a sod-line varying in width from three to five feet. In proper railway practice this must be kept free from vegetable growths. Also, this sod-line, and the roadbed between the rails, should likewise be kept in a moist condition, to render the road-bed dustless and keep these portions of the roadbed in proper permanent condition.

In accordance with my invention, I utilize the heat generated in the burning of the weeds which spring up in road-beds or roadways, for the purpose of heating mineral oil which, in heated condition, is distributed over or sprayed onto the road-bed or roadway, preferably directly after the weedburning operation. Weed burners, such as now employed, or any suitable type of weed burner, for road-beds or roadways, when associated with further features incident to the practice of the present invention, including an oil supply, means whereby the oil thus supplied is heated, and means for sprayin or distributing the oil over the road-bed, may operate to completely finish off the road-bed or roadway, by first ridding it of weeds and then providing it with a suitable charge or bath or coating of heated oil, utilization of such method of treatment leaving the road-bed or roadway in perfect weed-free and dustless condition.

The invention consists in the novel" and useful method of treatment herein disclosed and finally pointed out in claims. a Y

In the drawing, in which I have illustrated mechanism or apparatus which may be utilized in practising the invention, F igure is a diagrammatic side elevation of a portlon of a railway road-bed and of a weed-burning car and an oil carrying car thereon and coupled together for joint traverse of the road-bed, and equipped with suitable features and adjuncts for use in burnlng ofi weeds from the road-bed and subsequently applying heated oil thereto; and, Fig. 2 is an end elevation or rear view of the showing of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow.

Qorresponding parts in both figures are designated by the same reference characters.

In order to more specifically point out the features of the improved method, reference will be had to the drawing, as showing one form of means whereby the invention may be practised. It will be understood that the showing of the drawing is merely suggestive, and in no respect is such showing to be understood as constituting even a preferred form or organization of means for practisingzthe invention. a

eferring with particularity to the drawing, A. designates a weed-burner car, pro-- vided with a fuel tank or container a, for supplying fuel oil through a pipe 3 to lateral branch pipes 45 atone endof the car, leading to burner pipes 5 ranging longitlldinz ly of the car at the respective sides of the same, beneath wings or deflectors 6 and above the road-bed B. Rearward of the car A is disposed an oil sprayer or perforated header 7 ranging transversely of the car and supported above the road-bed and projecting laterally of the car to a predetermined extent at each side. From one end of the header 7 extends a branch feed pipe 8 which is coupled to the rear end of a longitudinal feed pipe 'or heater pipe 9 which is coupled atits other end with a branch feed pipe 10 leading to an oil tank or container 0 upon a tank-car C, which is coupled with the car A and arranged forwardly thereof. It will be understood that burner pipes 5 are ordinarily provided at each side of the car A connecting with the above mentioned feed pipes 4, and placed under one of the associated deflectors or wings 6; and another heater feed pipe 9 may likewise be provided at each side of the carA with its other branch pipes 8 and 10, although this is not customarlly necessary.

The heater feed pipe 9 is disposed in a plane slightly beneath that of the burner pipe 5 and receives both directly and indiv -rectly a large number of the heat units gen- 5, the major portion of which heat unitswould otherwise be radiated and lost. In other words, in heating the mineral oil in the heater pipe 9, the weed-burning opera-- tion is but slightly interfered with with respect to diversion of heat units, and the 2 total number of heat units required for both heating the oil in the heater pipe, for spraying upon the roadway, and for first burning ofi the weeds from the roadway, is substantially the same as ordinarily supplied merely for the weed-burning operation. The oil so heated in the heater pipe 9 is passed to the sprayer or perforated header 7, athwart the road-bed, and is thereby projected downwardly upon the roadbed between the rails and alon the sodlines, or outwardly of the sod-lines if desired, while such road-bed is itself in a heated condition consequent upon subjection to the action of the weed-destroying burners 5. The road-bed, in such heated condition, is more or less opened up and made more receptive for the sprayed oil which penetrates the same freely, both because of the heated condition of the oil itself and such 45,

heated condition of the road-bed, and such heated oil so applied preserves the road-bed.

When both cars have passed a given portion of the road-bed, it will be found that the weeds have been burnt oil, and the roadbed effectively subjected to a coating, film or bath of oil, and thus left in a weed-free,

dustless and otherwise satisfactory condition.

By utilization of my improved method of treatment, a single traverse of the road-bed thus produces results hitherto obtained only by separately treating the road-bed, in one instance to remove the weeds, and in the other instance to apply the oil. I accomplish both of these results in a single traverseof the road-bed and with a higher degree of satisfaction, as judged both by results obtained and modus operandz', utilizing the heat employed when burning the weeds for the purpose of pre-heating the oil to be sprayed upon the roadway, and thus obviating the necessity ofproviding a separate source of heat to that end, with the inconvenience and expense incident to such provision. The roadway is also heated before receiving the oil, without extra expense. My improved method thus involves a great saving and satisfaction with respect to speed, economy, convenience and efficiency.

Having thus described my invention, ll claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:-

1. An improved method of treating roadways, comprising first burning the plant growth thereon, and thereupon subjecting the roadway with the plant growth so destroyed to a bath of oil as a preservative.

2. An improved method of treating roadways, comprising first burning the plant growth thereon, and thereupon subjecting the roadway to a bath of preservative oil heated during the plant-burning operation.

3. An improved method of treating roadways, comprising first burning plant growth thereon and heating the roadway, second heating preservative oil with heat generated ,in the plant-burning operation, and third subjecting the heated roadway to a bath of the heated oil, in uninterrupted sequence.

In testimony whereof, I hay e signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

e EUGENE E. ALLEN.

Witnesses CAL F. HUNTER,

ALFRED H. DAEHLER. 

